RL Fic Exchange: Expiry Date
by Queen Ferret
Summary: Rory finds herself attending a society function alone on Christmas Eve where she finds herself standing in the presents the man she hasn’t seen in 10 years
1. The Flag Bearers Meet

First and for most I would like to thank my hard working beta's – I know this was a tight time frame but they rose to the challenge magnificently.

Secondly I would like to dedicate this fic to Cuppacuppajoe for being the muse that inspired this fic and to Jules for being the brains behind this little exchange.

* * *

The Flag Bearers Meet

"What! You're not coming home for Christmas?" Lorelai sounded overly dramatic as she spoke to her daughter from across the Atlantic.

"Mom, stop sounding like this is the first time you've heard about this. I told you three weeks ago that I have an interview tomorrow that I can't get out of." Rory was applying the final touches to her makeup while she talked to her mother on speaker phone.

"But that's ridiculous! Who has to work during Christmas?"

"Lots of people."

"Like who?"

"Like people in retail, public transportation, health services and pretty much everyone in the hospitality industry including people who run inns."

"Hey, I'm not working tomorrow." Lorelai sounded shocked at the innuendo.

"No, you may not be, but I bet some of your staff are."

"Well, it's the selfish guests who want to get away from their families during the holidays that force me to have my staff working."

"Well, I'm feeling sympathetic to them right now."

"Ahhh, that's mean, take it back." Lorelai almost sounded genuinely shocked.

"Take what back?" Rory sounded coy.

"Take back that you don't want to see mommy, the woman who gave birth to you. The woman who went groveling to her parents just so you could get into one of the top college-prep schools so you could go to Harvard so you could change your mind and go to Yale."

_Damn, _Rory thought her mother always had the whole gave birth and sacrificed card up her sleeve, and there was no fighting it. "Fine, I take it back, I would love nothing more than to be spending Christmas Eve with my neurotic mother, to be home in Stars Hollow than to be at a charity ball, which I will have to stay sober for because I have to get up insanely early to meet with my interviewee who is a firm atheist and said that it was tomorrow or never."

"That's better." Lorelai couldn't keep the sound of satisfaction out of her voice. "How did you get roped into going to this ball thingy tonight anyway?"

Rory was finally happy that the eye makeup on each eye matched, she picked up her phone and walked out of the bathroom and sat on the bed. "_Someone_ told Grandpa that I would be in London during Christmas, so Grandpa asked if I would like to represent the Gilmores at the function."

Rory had made _someone _sound like an accusation and Lorelai had picked up on it. "Don't blame me, you could have said no."

"No, I couldn't, you didn't hear him talk about how important this function had always been to Gran and how sure he was that his mother would be disappointed in him for not attending, and that Gran would be so proud if I attended."

"So, basically he guilt tripped you?"

"Yep." Rory looked at the time, "I have to go, Mom."

"Why? It's only 12 o'clock?"

"How many times have I told you I'm five hours ahead of you?"

"Oh, that's right you're on _mean_ time."

"Mom, don't make me explain that it's not that kind of mean again."

"You can explain all you want, but any time zone that you're not sharing with me is mean."

***

Rory spent the drive from inner city London to the large country estate going over her notes for tomorrow's interview. The CEO of GreenScape Technologies Marcus Harding was a notoriously private person and had granted Rory a very rare one-on-one interview. Rory read over the company's mission statement as the town car her Grandfather had insisted she take started to make its way up the long driveway that no doubt led to a stately country manor house.

The car finally came to a stop; Rory looked up at the house and was shocked by the size. It was huge, as in send-a-search-party-if-I'm-not-back-in-ten-minutes kind of huge. Rory closed her laptop as the car door was opened by an immaculately dressed servant. His Christmas red jacket and crisp white shirt almost glowed in the full-moon light. His black pants were almost lost in the night.

Rory stepped out of the overheated car; her body instantly broke out into goose bumps under her floor-length, burgundy velvet dress with bell-shaped sleeves. It was really too cold to just be wearing an evening dress in England in December, but since the distance from the car to the entry was less than a minute by foot, Rory had decided to forgo the hassle of a coat.

Rory walked briskly down the carpet, noting that all the staff outside were dressed the same way as the man who had opened her door; she supposed they were meant to be dressed festively, Rory thought they just looked cold.

Rory stepped inside the grand entry and was impressed with the oak-paneled walls, gild-framed paintings and marble floor. If the entry was anything to go by, this was a beautiful home.

Rory watch longingly as a tray with champagne-filled flutes passed her by; the bubbly liquid would make the night pass quicker, but would make waking up in the morning harder. Rory sighed and turned her back on the bubbly delight.

Rory looked around the room. She knew no one here and noted that she was most likely the youngest person in the room. Rory sighed again. It was going to be a long night

.

***

Despite her resolve not to drink tonight, Rory found herself finishing her second glass and desperately looking for a server to bring more her way. The night had started out well; she had hit it off with Sam, one of the few people at the party who was under forty. He also happened to be good looking, charming and one of the hosts of the evening. But she now found herself trapped in a conversation with a grey-haired old man dressed in what seemed to be a nineteen-eighties suit. Rory looked around for Sam now, hoping to use him as an excuse to get away from the boring old man. Her eyes scanned the entire room; she couldn't spot Sam anywhere nor any of the handful of men who were in her age bracket. Where had they gone?

Rory listened to the man before her go on and on about what he thought the problem with Americans was for ten more minutes before excusing herself. She made her way out of the main reception room and down the hallway and into what she assumed was the private section of the house. She wasn't meant to be in this part of the house and if she got caught she planned on saying that she had gotten lost looking for the bathroom.

She stopped in front of a large oil painting that was very Renaissance looking. She stepped closer, looking for a signature on the work when a door just a few feet to her left opened. She moved closer to the painting hoping that the dim light and huge ornate vase she was standing next to would obscure her from the view of whoever was about to walk by.

She didn't dare look behind her as what sounded like six or seven men walked passed her; it was only when their footsteps were growing distant that she sighed with relief at not being caught. She looked down the hall and noted that the group seemed to be made up of all the men that had been missing. Curious as to where they had been hiding, she made her way to the door they had exited. She placed her hand on the door knob, paused and listened for any sound coming from within. After several moments of silence, Rory was convinced the room was empty; she turned the handle and entered the mystery room.

Rory stood frozen in the doorway, stunned not by the fact that she was looking at one of the largest collection of books she had ever seen, or by the Leonardo da Vinci hanging above the roaring fireplace. She was frozen in place by the sight of her ex-boyfriend whom she hadn't seen in ten years standing before her. Even though Rory could only see him from behind, she knew it was him, from the sweep of his shoulders, to the way his pants clung to his butt, to his perfectly styled hair and the sound of his voice. She knew it was Logan.

Thankfully, Logan was so caught up in his phone call that he was oblivious to Rory's presence, giving her time to collect her thoughts. As she saw it, she had two options. She could back out of the room, close the door and avoid what was sure to be one of the most awkward moments of her life. Or she could stay and talk to the man who broke her heart.

Logan turned; taking Rory's first and preferred option away from her.

From the look on Logan's face he was just as stunned to see Rory as she was him.

Logan could still hear Tom, his business associate, talking to him on the phone, but it was like he couldn't understand what Tom was saying.

After ten years why was he seeing Rory now? Why here of all places? He hadn't spoken to her since that fateful day on the lawns of Yale. This was not how he envisioned them meeting up again. In fact, he had long given up any hope of seeing her again.

Finally the trance was broken by Tom saying Logan's name several times.

"Sorry, Tom, I have to go. Something's come up. We'll deal with this in the new year. Talk to you then." Logan ended the call before Tom could ask any further questions. He bought himself time to think of something to say by meticulously closing his phone and tucking it into his breast pocket. Once the motion was completed, he still found himself at a loss for words, so he just stood there, looking into the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

Rory watched all of Logan's movements carefully; she could tell by the set of his shoulders and the amount of time he had spent on such a simple task as putting his phone away that he was nervous. She now found him staring at her − intensely staring at her − that she had to look away.

Rory looked around the study and noticed there were several empty glasses littered throughout the room, and it seemed a tray of food had made its way in here instead of the Christmas party.

Rory glanced back at Logan, who had yet to move from his spot in the middle of the room. "So it seems you still form sub parties to survive these things."

Logan shrugged his shoulders, "Well, when something works, you stick with it."

The conversation stalled, this was the first time they had seen or heard from each other in ten years. They had everything and nothing to say to one another.

This time Logan broke the uncomfortable silence, "What are you doing here?"

Rory was thankful Logan had asked a question she could answer easily. "My Gran was a big contributor to this little annual shindig, so I'm here flying the Gilmore flag."

Logan nodded, "I'm the flag bearer for the Huntzbergers tonight."

Rory was not surprised to hear that he was representing his family, "I read that you went back to the family business."

"Yeah, my Dad had a heath scare a few years ago, so I came back. I do most of the travelling now."

"A way of working for your father without actually working with him." Rory made it a statement and not a question.

"Exactly." Logan watched Rory as she moved through the room; she looked just like he remembered her, only her hair was longer, so long that it reached her lower back. She was still wearing it out and curled just like he had always liked. Logan didn't feel it was appropriate to comment on how she looked, so he found a safer topic. "I'm an uncle now… Honor has two kids."

Rory stopped her perusing of the bookshelves and looked at Logan, "My grandma told me, congratulations."

Logan smiled and it was genuine, "Thanks."

Rory decided she needed to say something about what had happened between them, because who knew when the opportunity would come again. "Logan I just ..." Rory was cut off by the return of the men who had passed her in the hallway.

Logan didn't know whether to curse their timing or thank them.

"We have found our American beauty, Gentlemen." Rory looked at the group and recognized that it was the elusive Sam who was talking. "It appears she was not in need of our rescue after all."

Rory smiled, "I'm not the damsel-in-distress kind of girl." She watched as Sam walked closer to her; he was clearly flirting with her. Earlier in the night the flirting had been welcomed, but now with Logan in the room she didn't know how she felt about it.

Sam walked up to Rory and placed his arm around her shoulders, "But I was dearly hoping to be your knight-in-shining-armor."

Logan had a very vivid memory of Rory in his kitchen talking about Henry his suit-of-armor. "I'm afraid, gentlemen, that armor creeps this one out." Logan was relieved that he had managed to keep his voice casual, but he wasn't sure if his eyes stayed neutral as he watched Sam walk over to Rory and put an arm around her shoulder. Logan knew he had no right to be jealous but he was. This was not how he pictured him and Rory meeting up again, her in the arms of another man.

Rory looked at Logan, "I got used to Henry in the end."

Sam looked from Rory to Logan but did not move his arm. "You two know each other?"

Logan nodded, "We went to Yale together but haven't really seen each other since."

Logan's casual tone infuriated Rory; he had made them sound like nothing more than acquaintances, like what they had shared together was nothing.

"How lovely, a Christmas party and school reunion all rolled into one."

Rory kept her eyes locked with Logan's but pressed herself tighter into Sam's embrace. "Oh, yes, isn't it just lovely?"

***

Rory managed to hold herself together until she was out of the library and had made her way outside. The night air was freezing, but it was helping to calm her. She had just spent the last forty-five minutes smiling and chatting as if nothing was wrong, as if she wasn't angry and hurt, but she had found herself drowning in emotions. The tears she shed froze on her cheeks. After some time, her tears stopped and her breathing found its natural rhythm.

"Are you okay?"

Rory jumped at the sound of Logan's voice, she hadn't even heard him come out. Rory hurriedly wiped at her tears. "No, Logan, I'm not okay. _We went to Yale together?_ That's all you had to say about us? Is that all I meant to you?"

"Rory, you mean a hell of a lot more to me than that, but I'm not airing our personal business to a room full of strangers. It's not like I expected to see you again, like this."

"Hey!" Rory reacted to the anger in Logan's voice. "It's not like I planned this."

"Really? So you've known Sam for a long time, have you?"

Rory couldn't help but feel satisfied that Logan sounded jealous, "I just met Sam tonight."

"Really?" Logan couldn't keep the sound of disbelief out of his voice. "You seemed very friendly with him."

"Logan, what you saw were two single adults getting to know each other."

"Well, it sucked, Rory."

"Well, now you know how it feels, it really sucked the way you walked away from me that day."

"You never tried to stop me!" Logan felt like he had made the greatest point ever. It had always bothered him that Rory had just let him walk away; she had never tried to stop him.

"What was the point?" Rory sounded just as angry also.

"Don't do that! Don't throw my own words back at me. Don't you think that I have regretted them since the day I said them? I pushed you and I'm sorry!" Logan turned away from Rory; he started to pace, burning off some of his frustration.

Rory watched Logan pace, "I sorry, too."

Logan paused mid step, "For what?"

"For not stopping you, for not trying to get in contact with you afterwards." Rory had always regretted that she had let that moment be the last they had shared together until now. She didn't believe she could have fixed things if she had stopped him, but maybe if she had they wouldn't be in this position now.

Logan's voice was full of venom, "Don't blame yourself."

Rory was surprised that Logan still sounded so angry, she responded back with her own anger. "You don't get to tell me what to do, if I want to blame myself than that's my business."

"No, it's not! I was wrong, so you don't get to be wrong about this."

Rory was furious, how dare Logan tell her how to feel, "That is the most asinine argument I have ever heard."

Logan made an unintelligible sound, causing Rory to point at his chest and say, "Do not scoff at me."

"That was not a scoff, that was the sound of utter disbelief. You have made more ridiculous arguments than I will ever make even if I live to be one hundred and eighty three."

"Good! We agree then that you are being ridiculous." Rory crossed her arms over her chest, both from the cold and her anger.

"I never agreed to that."

"You did when you said that this was a ridiculous argument."

Logan stood there in silence; he had no idea how this conversation had turned on him so quickly.

"Oh, my goodness, the great Logan Huntzberger lost for words! I can give you time to form a counter point because you seemed to be out of practice."

Logan stood in front for Rory, invading her personal space, "I never needed practice with you."

Rory looked into Logan's eyes, she knew she should be feeling intimidated, but Logan could never scare her, "It must be senility then."

Logan stepped closer to Rory, causing her to take a step backwards. He shook his head at her, "It's not senility, I think that you are being obtuse."

Rory stepped back again as Logan moved forward, this time her back touched the cold stonewall. Rory shivered, "Dementia."

Logan held Rory's arms, trapping her against his body and the wall. He moved closer to her and whispered, "Naive."

The moment had become strangely serene; Rory could feel the heat of Logan's body and smell his aftershave. She closed her eyes so she couldn't see his face and whispered back. "Alzheimer's."

Logan cupped Rory's face, "Juvenile."

Rory felt Logan's warm breath on her face; it smelled faintly of scotch.

Logan moved in slowly, giving Rory time to pull away from the kiss he was planning but to his surprise, Rory did the opposite − she reached for his lips with her own. The kiss was rough and eager, their mouths moved hard against one another. Logan bit gently on Rory's lip, begging her to let him into her mouth.

Rory was about to grant Logan access when she felt him jump and move away from her quickly. Rory was just about to yell at him when she heard Sam's voice. "Logan, Rory, we were wondering where you were."

"Well, wonder no more because here we are." Logan had wiped his hand over his mouth, hoping that he had removed all of the lip gloss smeared on his lips from Rory's lips. He was thankful for the interruption; this was not how their reunion should have gone.

Sam watched and, clearly, he had just interrupted a personal moment and judging by Rory's swollen lips, it had been a good moment.

"We're going to Eddie's and we're wondering if you would like to join us?"

"What's Eddies? Is it a bar?" Rory asked.

"No, it's the Eddington Estate. They do all these Christmas lights, we used to jump the wall when we were younger and get drunk amongst the fairy lights."

"Aren't we a little old for that?"

"Exactly! We have chosen to recapture our youth tonight."

"Well, I would love to but I don't have a coat." Rory had never been so thankful for not bringing a coat in her life; she needed to get away from Logan before she did or said something she would regret even more.

"Not a problem, Milady," Sam smiled, he still had hope that he would be able to get Rory's number, but first he had to establish what kind of history she shared with Logan. "I'm sure I can scrounge one up for you."

Logan watched Sam smile at Rory; he really didn't like the way he was looking at Rory.

"But what about my driver? He should be home with his family and not waiting for me on Christmas Eve."

"Send your driver home and I'll take you back." Logan had made up his mind that he was going to find some closure tonight.

"I don't know..." Rory was hesitant, spending any more time with Logan than she already had was sure to be dangerous.

"Please, Rory. I have a driver who is single and has no family. I'm paying him an insane amount of money to drive me around over the holidays." Logan could still see the reluctance in Rory. "Please."

Rory understood the desperation in Logan's voice. He was right that if they didn't take this opportunity fate had given them, they may never be given another chance.

"Okay, but just for a little while."


	2. Amongst the Fairy Lights

Amongst the Fairy Lights

Rory was surprised to find herself walking alone with Logan through a field of automated reindeers. The reindeers were lighted up with tiny LED lights, some twinkling; the eerie blue lights added to the intimacy of the moment.

Logan was not surprised they were alone; he had requested the guys for some alone time. At first they had been reluctant to give it, but Sam had stepped in, saying that he would arrange it. Logan hadn't known what to say, it was clear that Sam liked Rory. "Logan, you two stink of history," Logan had just looked at Sam in disbelief at that comment; he thought that other than the kiss, it hadn't been that obvious they had a history.

Out of the corner of his eye, Logan saw Rory shiver. "You're cold, we can go back." Logan started to move back to where the cars were waiting for them, but he stopped at the feel of Rory's hand on his wrist.

"No, Logan, I'm fine, really… this coat is sinfully warm." Sam had managed to find a grey mink coat; the only reason Rory was wearing it was because Sam had promised that the coat had been made long before fur was considered cruelty to animals.

"You sure? You said you have to work tomorrow."

"Logan, I don't want to go yet." It was the closest Rory had ever come to saying _don't go. _

Logan nodded and started walking again; Logan relaxed as he realized that Rory had no intention of moving her hand from his wrist. After a few steps, Logan felt Rory's hand move from his wrist and weaved her fingers though his gloved ones. Their fingers moved in complete unison; it had been over ten years but holding hands with Rory Gilmore was just as natural as breathing. Logan regretted the fact he had chosen to wear gloves, he longed to feel Rory's hand in his without the leather dulling the sensation.

He looked at Rory's face, she seemed nervous and uncomfortable and just when he thought she was going to pull away from him, he felt her hand tighten in his.

"Rory, what were you just?"

Logan's question made no sense, "Huh?"

"Back in the library, before the guys came back you were going to say something."

Rory looked at Logan, "Honestly, I had no idea what I was going to say. I just felt like I should say something."

Logan nodded, he understood what Rory was saying. He was glad they had had an interruption because he had been just as lost for words as Rory had been.

"Logan, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so harsh. I just wasn't expecting to see you here, of all places."

"I know, I'm not really angry, I just don't know how to deal with this."

"I'm having the same problem, I think it's because we never had closure."

Logan looked down at their joint hands, his encased in his warm soft leather glove, her hand was naked in his, and her normally beautiful creamy skin was red from exposure to the cold night air.

"God, Ace, your hands must be freezing." Logan stopped walking, causing Rory to stop as well, Logan wasn't being evasive, he really was concerned.

Rory stalled at the sound of Logan's nickname for her. "They're fine, Logan."

Rory wanted to feel irritated as she watched Logan let go of her hand and took his gloves off, he drew her hands into his, rubbing them and letting his warmth seep into her cold skin.

"Logan, your hands will get cold too." Rory protested.

"It's this or I take you home." Logan looking into Rory's eyes, he could see that she was just as reluctant for the night to be over as he was.

"Just as I thought." Logan kept rubbing her hands.

Rory looked at her hands that were encased by his, "Why did you call me Ace just now?"

"I'm sorry… I know I shouldn't call you that anymore. It just slipped out. In my head that's what I've always called you."

"I wasn't asking for an apology, it's just that you have been calling me Rory all night, I wanted to know why Ace, now, in this moment?"

"Just because I wanted to say… I wanted to know what it would feel like to say your name out loud again."

"How did it feel?"

"It felt good."

Rory blushed and looked down at her hands that were now pressed to Logan's chest; she couldn't remember when she had put her hands there. Logan's hands were on top of hers, helping keep them warm, but also stopping her from being able to pull away, not that she wanted to. Rory's hands flexed,  
caressing her fingers over his chest, she could feel heat radiate off his body. "I liked hearing it."

"Good, I'm glad." Logan took a step forward, his body pressing onto hers, his open coat flared out, giving Rory more of his warmth.

Logan slowly moved his hands up Rory's wrists, up her fur-encased arms and over her shoulders; his hands didn't stop moving until he was cupping her face.

Rory didn't move as Logan moved closer to her, she shivered as his hands cupped her face. Her reaction was not from the cold.

Logan bent in slowly, giving Rory time to pull away. She didn't; instead of being eager this time, she let him come to her. She watched his face come closer. He had the same facial expression when he had asked her if she was sure just before they had slept together for the first time, like he was sure it was a bad idea, but that he wanted to do it more than anything.

Rory watched until Logan's lips were just about to touch hers, but her feelings at the moment became too intense so she closed her eyes.

Logan watched as Rory closed her eyes, she made no move to pull away from him and he was relieved; this was how their first kiss should have been after so long, not one fueled with anger and hurt but one with deeper emotions.

Logan licked his suddenly dry lips; he was nervous, he ignored his nerves and kissed her. The kiss was soft and slow. They took their time exploring each other's lips. Logan could feel Rory's lip gloss smudged over his lips; he could feel her lips moving with his, caressing back. He was happy that this wasn't just a cruel memory for him to wake up from. Finally, they drew back from the kiss, and rested their foreheads together, their breath fogged in the cold night air.

"Rory, do you want to leave now?"

Rory nodded her head, their foreheads still touching. "Do you want to come home with me?"

Once again Rory nodded her head.

Logan needed more than a head nod to be sure that this was what Rory really wanted. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Rory's voice was soft but she sounded cretin.

Logan smiled, he gave her one last kiss on the lips and moved away from her, taking her hand back in his. He was reluctant to lose physical contact out of fear that she would change her mind.

***

Rory looked up at the building as the car stopped in front of it. "This is the same place."

"What?" Logan hadn't stopped holding Rory's hand during the drive home and they hadn't said a word since leaving the Eddington Estate.

"This is the same building you stayed in when you came here after Yale."

"Yeah, it's the same apartment, too. The company owns the building." Logan sounded tired, like he was not pleased to be here in London.

"I didn't know that."

"Well, now you do." Logan stepped out of the car and signaled for the door man to stay where he was. Logan walked around the car to Rory's side and opened the door. She stepped out of the car and allowed Logan to place his hand in the curve of her lower back.

She leaned against Logan and whispered in his ear as they approached the door. "Is the door man the same?"

Logan smiled, he had always loved that little things meant so much to Rory, "No."

Logan kept his hand firmly at Rory's back, all the way through the foyer of the building, up the elevator and down his hallway. He only took his hand away when he had to open the door to his apartment. Logan stepped into the entry and held the door open for Rory.

Rory walked into the apartment; it wasn't exactly how she remembered it. What had once been an open-planned apartment now had two sections. One section was the living/ kitchen/dining room. At the corner was a large Christmas tree decorated with multi-colored ornaments and twinkling lights. The polished floorboards were darker than what she remembered. She walked past the dining table and ran her fingers over the varnished wood. She glanced into the kitchen and could see that a lot of work had been done there as well. From where she was standing, she could tell that some renovation and remodeling were also done at the bedroom section of the apartment.

Logan watched Rory as she walked through the apartment, her eyes glancing over his personal possessions. She paused near the wood and glass coffee table, picking up the book that he was reading.

"I've been meaning to read this, is it any good?"

"Yeah, pretty good. It's a little convoluted at times."

"Well, it's a book about the evolution of print media; it's not going to be thrilling every minute."

Rory put the book back down, and kept walking through the apartment. She paused at the photos that adorned the wall next to the Christmas tree. There were photos of Logan with Colin and Finn, and there was a picture of Logan in a pool with a smiling blond child perched upon his shoulders. The family resemblance was uncanny. Rory looked back at Logan; the boy shared the same hair and smile. Rory felt a stab in her chest; Logan hadn't mentioned he had a son.

Logan came and stood behind Rory, his eyes drawn to the same photo that Rory was looking at. "I love that photo; I didn't even know that Honor had taken it until she sent it to me for my birthday."

"So, he's Honor's?" Rory tried to sound indifferent.

"Her eldest Blake and that little minx," Logan pointed to a photo partially hidden by the tree, "Is my niece Molly, she can't sit still for a minute and is always into everything."

Rory smiled and looked at Logan, "Just like her uncle."

Rory looked back at the photo of Logan and Blake, "He looks so much like you."

"I know. Everyone who sees us together thinks that I'm his Dad." Logan had a feeling that Rory had been thinking along those lines. She wasn't the first and she wouldn't be the last.

Rory turned away from the photos and came chest to chest with Logan. Logan thought about making his move on Rory but it didn't feel right at that moment, so he stepped back, once again giving Rory room to move around his apartment.

It was hard for her to tell with the dim lighting but the walls and some of the furniture were all in autumn tones which made the apartment feel surprisingly warm. It had the ambiance of a home and not of an apartment that was only used occasionally. "How often do you come here?"

"Every couple of months. We're trying to expand through Europe so I'm using this as my base. I can only live in hotels for so long."

"You sound tired."

Logan ran his hand over his hair, messing it even further, "I am."

"So why do you keep doing it?"

Logan tucked his hands into his pockets and shrugged his shoulders, "Because it's my job and I do love it."

"Why not delegate a little?"

"I don't have a reason to."

"So... no girlfriend?" Rory knew that she should have established this before kissing Logan and agreeing to come back to his apartment for sex.

"You know I wouldn't have kissed you if I did." Logan's voice was hard, not really angry but more disappointed that Rory had felt the need to ask such a question.

"I know, I just...." Rory stood in the middle of the room, she felt awkward and longed for the days when she felt comfortable and at ease with Logan, "Well, this is weird."

"I know it's weird, we don't have to do anything. We can just talk."

Rory started walking towards Logan, "I know we don't have to..." Rory stopped in front of Logan and ran her hands over his chest, up over his shoulders and pushed the jacket that he was still wearing to the floor. "But I want to."

Logan smirked at how forward Rory was being, he drew her into his arms and whispered in Rory's ear, "Me, too."

Logan started the kiss softly, just caressing her bottom lip with his own. Logan gently cupped her face between his hands, her porcelain skin just as soft to touch as he remembered. Rory slid her hands around Logan's hips until they rested at the curve of his back.

With each kiss Logan parted more of Rory's lips until his tongue was able to stroke in and out of her mouth. Suddenly the kiss was no longer enough for Rory; it was almost like she was starved for the touch of Logan's skin against hers. She balled her hands into the shirt on his back; she pulled on it until she freed it from his pants. She worked her hands under the shirt and spread her fingers out over his back, touching as much of him as she could. But it still wasn't enough, she needed more, now. She removed her hands from Logan's back and started working on the buttons of his shirt.

Logan responded to Rory's desperation and deepened the kiss. He ran his hands down her neck and shoulders and ran them over her back until he found the zipper of her dress. She felt her dress loosen and slipping off her just as she undid the last of his buttons and pushed the shirt off his shoulders.

Logan slid Rory's dress off her arms and down her body, and once he had pushed the dress passed her hips, he dropped the dress, letting it pool at her feet.

Rory had decided she didn't want to touch Logan until she could do so without any clothing interfering with the sensation; she worked on Logan's belt and opened his fly. She pushed down both his pants and his boxers off his body and let them pool around his ankles. He kicked of his shoes and removed his socks before he stepped out of his fallen clothes.

Logan was standing totally naked before Rory who was still wearing her underwear and stockings. He looked at her body up and down and appreciated the burgundy lace panties and matching bra, including the black thigh-high stockings. He reached around Rory's body and undid the clasp of her bra; he let it fall to the floor before he knelt down in front of her and began taking off her underwear. She placed a single hand on Logan's shoulders as she first stepped out of her panties, and then her shoes until finally Logan rolled each of the stockings down her legs, leaving her standing before him totally nude.

Logan stood back up, but made no move to touch Rory. He took his time drinking in the sight of her.

Had Logan been another man looking at her the way he was staring, she would have felt self-conscious, but it was Logan. With Logan she had always been self-confident. He had always made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. She missed feeling that way.

Rory moved closer to Logan and pushed her body flush against his; she could feel his partial erection pushing onto her. Rory wrapped her arms around Logan and rested her head on his shoulder. She smiled when Logan moved his own arms around her body, holding her tight.

This moment had nothing to do with sex and had everything to do with the feel and smell of each other's bodies.

Logan was the first to turn the moment into something more sexual by placing the most gentle of kisses on Rory's shoulder; he worked his way to Rory's lips with a trail of small kisses. This time there was no hesitating with his kisses. The kisses were instantly deep and thorough.

Logan started hardening; he pressed his long, thick erection against Rory's body, eliciting a groan from her. He wanted to hear that sound again, so he picked Rory up, sliding her body along his until her head was above his, all the while they kept kissing.

Rory helped Logan hold her by wrapping her legs around his waist; she grounded her moist center on Logan's belly. With the feel of Rory's slick, nether lips rubbing against him, Logan had decided it was time to move to his bedroom. He was so caught up in the moment that he forgot they were surrounded by a sea of clothes, causing him to trip. Rory gripped Logan's neck tighter as she felt him fight to keep their balance; in the end, he succeeded in preventing them from crashing to the floor.

For a moment they stood in utter silence, wrapped around one another, before breaking out into laughter at the same time.

"Logan, put me down before you drop me."

He lowered her to the floor but kept his hands on her hips until he was sure that she could stand on her own. She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at the pile of clothes, "Come on, which one of you did it?"

Logan spoke with his voice still holding an edge of laughter, "It was the shirt!"

"A wise guy, hey? Take this!" Rory kicked the shirt across the room; she watched it swirl in the air, landing on the dining table.

When Rory looked down at her foot, she realized she had tangled herself in her bra. "You little punk." Rory jiggled her foot in the air until the bra unwrapped itself from her leg and went sailing into the Christmas tree.

Logan watched contently as Rory kicked their clothes and undergarments throughout his apartment while talking to them in funny voices. He was tempted to join her but the way her breast moved with each kick was just too distracting. He came up behind Rory and pulled her into his arms, pressing her ass onto his groin.

"Are you done yet, Ace?"

Rory smiled, "Why? Is there something else you would rather be doing?"

Logan whispered into Rory's ear, causing her to shiver with anticipation, "You know there is."

"Logan, I don't claim to know a thing about you anymore."

That comment was a little close to the truth, but Logan ignored it. "Well then, know this… I want you…" Logan moved one hand down her waist until he was cupping her sex with his hand, "… now."

"Prove it." Rory turned around in Logan's arms and began kissing him while walking him backwards towards his bedroom.

"Oh, I intend to, Ace… all night."

***

Logan slowly drifted awake and for a moment he felt like he was floating; his feet had reached that perfect temperature where they felt tingly. He was reluctant to move, scared that he would lose this feeling before he was ready.

"Crap!" The swear word carried through the entire apartment despite the obvious intent for it not to be heard.

Now that Logan had heard Rory's voice, he became aware that she was supposed to be in bed next to him; instead, she was up and moving around his apartment. It sounded like she was getting dressed. It sounded like she was going to leave. At that thought Logan snapped out of his euphoric state, got up out of bed and made his way into the living room.

Logan watched from the doorway as Rory moved around the room. She was wearing her dress from the night before, her thigh-high stockings in place, and shoes were sitting near the door. It was obvious she was searching for something as she was crouching on the floor looking under furniture.

"What are you doing?"

Rory jumped at the sound of Logan's voice, causing her to hit her head on the coffee table she was currently under. Rory sat back and looked up at Logan. "I have to work." Rory had really hoped to avoid this conversation with Logan.

Logan didn't believe that, "On Christmas Day? Who are you interviewing? Santa Clause?"

Rory resumed her search for her elusive possession, "No, I have an interview with Marcus Harding and I'm running late."

"I can't believe that atheist bastard is making you work today."

Rory paused and looked up at Logan, "You know him?"

"Sure, his family owns a place in Martha's Vineyard not far from our place; played poker with him a lot when we were teenagers." Logan watched as Rory resumed her search for something on the floor. "Were you even going to say goodbye?"

"Logan, I don't have time for this. I have to get back to my hotel, shower, dress and learn how to _disapparate_ and _apparate_ to make it in time for this damn interview." Rory looked around the room and she saw that the tree in the corner had its fairy, all bright and shiny.

"So, you're looking for your wand?"

"No, I am looking for my panties." Rory looked up and saw Logan smirk at her predicament. "How about instead of looking smug, you help me?"

"But by assisting I'm only going to help you escape sooner and I don't want that."

Rory drew in a deep breath, "Logan..."

"Rory, don't go."

"Logan, you don't have a right to ask me that after one night."

"I know I don't, but this doesn't feel like one night to me. Tell me it's more than a one-nighter for you, too?"

Rory couldn't keep eye contact; she hung her head. She couldn't look at Logan while they had this particular conversation, "I can't, Logan."

"Why not?"

"Because."

Logan crossed his arms over his bare chest, he leaned on the door frame, "Because is not an answer. Tell me why you can't."

"Because I don't want to lie to you."

"Then don't."

"Logan, if we talk about last night now, I won't leave, it could cost me my job if I screw up this interview."

"Who cares... you hate your job."

Rory looked up, she wondered if Logan knew just how appealing he looked standing there in nothing but his boxers, "How do you know I hate my job? It's not like we did a whole lot of talking last night."

"Because I know you, Rory. Stay so we can talk."

Rory just sat on the floor and shook her head.

"Why do you hate your job?" Logan had started to form a plan of how to turn this into more than a one night stand; he just needed to keep Rory talking long enough for it to work.

"I can't talk about this right now… do you know what time it is?"

Logan looked back into the bedroom to his bedside clock, "It's quarter to seven."

Logan watched Rory just stare at him. At first he thought Rory was going to yell at him, blame him for making her late, but then her eye's started to mist over, her bottom lip began to quiver. Logan found himself sitting on the floor beside Rory before the first tear rolled down her cheek; he pulled her into his arms, and felt her whole body start to quiver and shake as she truly began to cry.

Logan started rocking Rory in his arms, "Rory, what's wrong?"

She just mumbled something against Logan's neck, but he couldn't grasp what she just said, "Rory, I can't understand you."

She looked up at Logan; her eyes were red, making the irises appear even bluer. "I know. I'm going to sound horrible and spoiled, I have the most amazing job, and I get to travel the world. I have everything I thought I always wanted, but I hate it. I hate being here at Christmas. I hate not being at home with my family. I miss my Mom, I miss my friends... I miss... I miss." Rory looked away from Logan.

"You miss what, Rory?"

She took a deep breath and gathered her courage, "I miss..." Rory bent forward, she wanted nothing more than to feel Logan's lips on hers.

"You miss me?" He placed one of his hands on her shoulder, stopping her forward progress. He looked into her eyes; if she couldn't say the words out loud she mustn't mean them. "That's not fair, Rory, you said _no_." Logan moved away from her as fast as he could, if he touched her now it would turn into more sex and he was too confused for sex right now.

Logan ended up with his back pressed onto the brown leather of his couch; Rory had stayed in the middle of the floor. She wasn't crying anymore, she looked confused about Logan's reaction.

"You're the one who walked away, Logan, not me."

"Only because you didn't want _us_!"

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to when _no_ expressed your feelings so eloquently."

Rory stood up, "I'm not doing this now, Logan, I have a job to do."

Logan looked up at Rory, "If not now, when?"

"I don't know, Logan."

"It's been ten years, Rory. Do you really think we are going to have another chance?"

"No, I don't."

"So blow off the interview and stay here with me."

"I can't do that, Logan." Rory really didn't want to pick between Logan and her job, but he was leaving her with little choice.

Logan tilted his head back and screamed to the ceiling, he cupped his head in his hands and rested his elbows on his drawn up knees. "I know that you can't blow off the interview, I'm sorry… I shouldn't have asked you to do that… it was wrong."

"Yes, it was." Rory voice was hard; this was why she had said no all those years ago, she hadn't been ready to compromise her career for her personal life.

"Rory, go take your shower, I'll find you some clothes. Take my driver to the interview and then come back here. We'll have dinner and talk."

"Logan, thank you for the offer but I can't go to the interview dressed in one of your shirts."

"You won't be, Honor left some of her clothes here last time she stayed, I'm sure that there is something that will fit you." Logan could see Rory hesitate, "You said it yourself, you don't have time to go back to your place and change. I don't see any other options for you."

In the end, Rory had reluctantly accepted Logan's offer since there really had been no other choice for her, not if she wanted to be on time and not be wearing the clothes from the night before. She had just about been out the door when Logan had grabbed her hand and spun her around, she stumbled in her high heels; Logan caught her against his chest.

"Ace, promise me you'll come back after your interview."

"Okay, Logan, I promise."

Rory had hesitated but Logan knew once Rory had promised she would do everything within her power to keep her word.

***

Logan looked at his kitchen clock for the sixth time in twenty minutes, it was four in the afternoon and Rory had yet to come back. He had spent his day cooking and thinking. What did he hope to get out of dinner tonight?

The answer hadn't come easily to Logan, but now that he knew what he was asking for, tonight did not seem as overwhelming. Logan glanced at the clock again and debated on whether to call his driver and find out what was happening, but whatever was to happen in the coming hours and maybe days to come had to be built on trust.

He found himself sitting at his dining table with his laptop and a glass of red wine when Rory finally arrived. He had thought he heard the _bing_ of the elevator doors opening, but thought he was mistaken when he did not hear anyone walk down the hallway.

Rory stood nervously before Logan's door, she wasn't sure this was a good idea. She should just turn around and go back to her hotel and pretend nothing had happened, just like she had been pretending for the last ten years that Logan had not been that important to her.

She was tired of pretending.

Logan heard the softest of knocks on his door; if he had not been sitting in silence by his laptop he would never have heard it. He knew it was Rory and he knew she had been standing in his hallway debating on whether to knock or not. It was a small comfort to know she had chosen him instead of running away.

Rory looked up when Logan opened the door; he was dressed in a pair of casual pants, with a black turtle neck.

"It smells like you've been cooking."

"I've made pot roast; it is still your favorite, right?"

"Yep." Rory felt stupid still standing in the doorway, maybe Logan hadn't really wanted her to come back.

"Good, that's good." He stood there just smiling at her; although he felt awkward, he didn't know what to do next.

"So, is there some new craze I don't know about?"

Logan was truly puzzled, "What?"

"Well, traditionally when someone is greeted at the door and their presence is welcomed you invite them in, but if that protocol has changed and you're meant to keep guests in the hallway, man is my face red, I've been doing it wrong all this time."

"No new traditions, this is a very old one, I was watching Buffy re-runs and you have been gone a long time and Marcus had been known to associate with the devil, so I was just being cautious."

"So, do you think it's safe for me to come in?"

Logan looked Rory up and down, she was in a black turtle neck knit dress, it left nothing to the imagination but still managed to be conservative. Logan knew that Rory was anything but safe, what he actually said was, "I think I can take anything you can dish out."

"Well, that isn't exactly saying that I'm safe."

Logan avoided Rory's comment, "You'd better come in before dinner gets cold. Pot roast is never as good when reheated."

Rory let it go and walked into Logan's apartment, she had the strongest sense of déjà vu, it was almost like she was reliving some of her favorite college moments when it had been just the two of them having a simple evening at home.

The only light in the apartment came from the Christmas tree in the corner and the candles lighted on the table. It was simple but tranquil.

They sat in silence eating, the only words that had been spoken had been the pleasantries of '_pass the beans' _followed by _pleases_ and _thank you's_.

"Is everything okay?"

Rory who had been staring at her plate of food looked up at Logan, "Yes, why?"

"You have barely touched your food."

"I'm sorry, it's just that this is awkward, I feel like we should be have this amazingly insightful conversation, but I cannot find the words."

"I think that one of us just has to start, throw something out there to get the ball rolling." Logan placed his fork down on the table.

"Okay," Rory sounded unsure; she still really had no idea where to start.

Logan asked, "Would you like me to start?" Rory nodded, "Why are you working over Christmas away from home?"

Well at least Logan started with an easy question, "I go where the assignments take me."

"But you're a roving reporter. You can go where you want when you want, can't you?"

"Not necessarily, sometimes I get assignments given to me."

"Was this assigned to you?" Logan took a sip of wine.

"No," Rory shook her head, "But when Marcus Harding agrees to an interview, you do it on his terms."

"So, when was the last time you were home?"

"I don't know exactly."

"Well, estimate."

Rory was annoyed, "I don't see why this is important."

"Just guess. How long since you have been home?"

Rory thought for a moment, "Nine maybe ten months."

"And how many countries have you been to in that time?"

Rory shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know."

"Okay then, how many stories have you written in that time?"

"Forty one."

"In nine months you've written forty one articles?" Logan was shocked, that was a massive output for a roving international reporter. "How many have been printed?"

"All of them, the _Times_ published most of them, but I freelanced a couple of them under a different name."

"That's insane; I bet you don't have a life outside of work."

"I have a life." Rory sounded defensive, how dare Logan judge her life.

"Bullshit. You just told me you haven't been home in almost a year. You have traveled over the whole world, but you haven't lived a moment of it. You can't live life behind a pen and paper."

"I'm not like you, Logan. I don't just fit into whatever situation I'm thrown into. I have to work so hard for everything I do."

"And life shouldn't be all about work, it should be about living. If you are working that hard maybe you're in the wrong job."

"You hypocrite. You think that your life is not any different from mine?" Rory looked down at her food and was no longer hungry. She pushed away from the table and walked to the large bank of windows, she looked out over the quiet snow-covered streets below.

"Yes, I do think my life is different. Look at the photos on the wall; they're not just from years ago. The one with Colin and Finn was taken just a couple of months ago. Yes, I work hard, but I always make time for what's important to me. This job isn't all I am, can you say the same?"

Rory shook her head. Logan was right, she was nothing more than her job, and she had been using it as an excuse not to form strong bonds with people.

"What happened to you, Rory?"

Rory turned and faced Logan; she was surprised to find him standing so close to her. "You did. You left me, Logan, you didn't give me the choice of having a life and a career, it was one or the other."

"So, you picked your career over me?"

"You're not listening, Logan, I wanted to have both with you, but you took that option away from me. My career was all that I had left."

"I didn't know that this was going to happen, or I would never have asked you to marry me. I didn't know that I was destroying us by asking you to be my wife."

"It doesn't matter anymore how or why we are here like this. I don't want to keep living in the past."

Logan felt crushed, he had hoped Rory coming back had been a sign that she wanted to spend time with him, but clearly he had been wrong. "So, why did you bother coming back?"

"Because you asked me to."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Logan, what did you think would happen? Did you hope I would come back here tonight and confess my life has been miserable without you? That I should have said yes all those years ago. Were you hoping that I would throw myself into your arms and confess my undying love for you?"

"Would that have really been so bad?"

"No, it wouldn't have been bad. It would have been disastrous, cataclysmic, the height of stupidity."

"I don't understand… why would it have been so bad?"

"It's been ten years, Logan."

"I know how long it's been, Rory."

"Really? Cause I don't think that you get it. I'm not the person that you knew back then."

"I know you're not, it's not like I'm the same person ether."

"So, I ask again... why did you ask me back here?"

"I wanted to see you again. I didn't want this morning to be it. I didn't want to wait another ten years to touch you or talk to you again. I miss you, Rory, even after all this time, I miss you not every day, not even every week, but I find myself randomly thinking _'man I wish Ace was here to see this'_, or I would wonder what your opinion would be on something."

"So, you thought I would come back, and we'd have a roll around the sheets and then have pillow talk? Maybe we could do it whenever we were in the same city?"

"Rory, you know we don't do casual very well." Logan was frustrated, why couldn't he find the right words to convey to Rory what he was feeling. "Rory, I've been looking for ten years for something like what we had together and there has been nothing that even came close."

"Logan, that wasn't fair to compare all those girls to me, it's not even fair to compare me to who I was ten years ago."

"I wasn't comparing them with you; I wasn't looking for Rory 2.0. I was just..." Logan searched for the right words. "I know what love feels like and I'm trying to find it again."

"And you think you can find it with me again?"

"Honestly, I don't know, I meant what I said all those years ago. I don't want to go backwards and I still don't, but I think we owe it to ourselves to see if there is still something between us."

Rory suddenly felt tired, she walked past Logan and sat down on his couch. "So, how are we going to do this?"

Logan smiled, Rory had said _we_, he wasn't in this alone, but he needed to understand why. "Just like that you want to give this a go?"

"No, not just like that. You're right, it's been ten years and I have felt more in the last twenty-four hours than I have in the last decade."

"How about we give ourselves time?"

"Time?" Rory made it a question; she sensed that Logan had a plan.

"Yeah, time. We either find closure or..."

"Or?"

"We find that there is something new between us… something worth nurturing."

"How much time should we give ourselves?"

"Do we really have to put an expiry date on it?" Logan sat down next to Rory; he held her hands in his.

"Yes, just like milk we need to know when this arrangement will go sour or we'll get stuck in limbo."

Logan thought about it and concluded that Rory was right; they needed to set a time table when they could evaluate their relationship without any pressure or fear of hurting one another. "How long are you in London for?"

"I'm due to fly out on the first of January."

"Fine then, let's give ourselves until midnight New Year's Eve."

"How poetic," Rory said.

"No, just symbolic. One way or another we will be ending a chapter of our lives and starting a new one."

Logan nodded his head; he just stood staring at Rory.

Rory suddenly felt uncomfortable with the expectations that they had just placed on each other, "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, I'm going to go do the dishes and you can start on your article."

"But I thought I hated my job? Why would I finish my article?"

"You do hate your job but you always finish what you have started."


	3. The Days in Between

The Days in Between

Rory woke early the next morning and from the moment she was conscious she knew she was alone in bed. She got out of bed and put on the gold silk robe that was lying across the bed. The robe was a bit too broad in the shoulders to be meant for a female. She held the collar of the robe to her nose and was overwhelmed by the scent of Logan. She had missed this smell.

Rory walked bare-footed into the living room; she was not surprised to find Logan awake and busily typing away at his laptop. She was surprised to see that he was dressed for the office.

Logan looked up when he became aware that he was being watch, "Morning, Ace. There is coffee in the kitchen."

"You're dressed for work."

"Yeah, I have to go in for a little while."

Rory walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, "Were you going to wake me before you left?"

"Yes, I was," Logan watched as Rory pursed her lips, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know... I thought it would be just us until New Year's." Rory gestured to Logan's dressed-up body. "I wasn't expecting this."

"Rory, you know I'm in London for business, that doesn't stop just because of our arrangement."

"Thanks, now you're making me feel cheap."

"That's not what I intended." Logan was frustrated. Why were they so good at misunderstanding what the other was saying? "Come with me to the office."

"What?"

"Come with me. You can be my consultant for the day, tell me what you think of the papers I'm looking at."

"But, Logan, I'm just a writer."

"Rory, you were never just a writer, you're good at this stuff. You may not be able to name every country that you have been to, but the odds are that you have read these publications. You probably even know their target markets."

Rory thought about the offer, "Okay, I'll come but I will need to stop off at my hotel, I can't go to the office dressed like this."

Logan looked Rory up and down; she looked good dressed in nothing but his robe. "I won't complain... but you're right, I wouldn't want the staff to get distracted." Logan smirked at Rory and went back to typing on his laptop.

***

Rory had been surprise how much she enjoyed working with Logan, he seemed genuinely interested in her opinion and she had been surprised by just how much input she had. She hadn't felt challenged like this by her work in years.

That night they went back to Logan's apartment, Rory was exhausted but felt strangely content.

The next days were simply spent without trying to sweep the other off his or her feet, or trying to impress the other. They just spent time together. Whether it be at Logan's office or in his apartment. They would take walks through Hyde Park and buy bags of freshly roasted chestnuts. Logan told Rory all about his time in California and his return to the family business. Rory could see the joy in Logan's eyes as he spoke about Honor and the kids.

***

It was New Year's Eve and it was the first time Logan had been alone since Christmas Eve. Rory was at her hotel, packing. Logan was still unsure why she was doing it so early in the morning. He looked out the window and could now only see the first rays of light over the city.

There was a knock on the door. Logan looked at his watch; it was too early for Rory to be done packing. He walked to the door and looked in the peephole – it was a FedEx delivery man. The average person would be annoyed to have a delivery man knocking on their door before six a.m. but not Logan, he was on their anytime delivery list, which means that he got his packages within hours of them arriving.

He signed for the mystery package; he was surprised by the weight of the box as he took it from the delivery man and placed it on his dining table. He got a knife from the kitchen and opened the box. At first appearances the contents was of no help. Why would someone send him a box of old diaries? He picked up the diary that had 2007 printed in gold on the cover. He flipped through the first few pages and found not a single entry until he reached the end of the month May. He sat down and read the first entry:

_Logan,_

_It's been two days since we have seen each other. I tried to call you but I was scared you would hang up on __me and I couldn't bear that, particularly when I hope in a few days or weeks that we will reconcile. I know I'm probably being naive as something feels very permanent about our breakup this time._

_But I'm going to ignore that feeling and write this like we are going to get back together and when we do, I can share this with you, so you won't have missed a moment of my life while we were apart._

Logan started reading through the entries. They covered everything from her first day of work to the movies she had seen or a funny anecdote from the day's events. Some entries were more riveting than others, not to say that Rory's life or writing was ever boring, it's more that some entries were truly captivating either for the event that she had witnessed or the humor or the sorrow.

Such as the entry for October 13, 2007:

_I think that it has finally dawned on me that we are over. I don't know why today was the day that this realization occurred to me. There was nothing special about today, I didn't see your doppelganger, and I didn't hear someone speak your name, nothing... There was nothing that reminded me of you today not even a guy wearing the same cologne you wear, not that it would smell the same on anyone else._

_I understand now that we are over and I have to work out a plan on how to deal with this. Do I keep writing in this diary even though you will never read it? Or should I throw these pages away and start to forget that I'm still in love with you? Will I ever be able to forget you? I'm not sure how I will go about achieving this; I can't even fathom where to begin. I'll get back to you on that. I'll work out some kind of plan. Maybe I should get an exorcism, not that I'm possessed but I think that you are so ingrained in my psyche that I will need to go to extreme measures to remove you from it._

The next stand-out entry was November 21 of the same year:

_I met someone today, I'm sure that you don't want to know but he's the first person who has caught my attention since you. His name is Kris. I have no idea what it's short for, or at least I assume that it's short for something, as you can tell we're destined to be soul mates._

April 14, 2009:

_I have done it! Today is my first day reporting from overseas. I know that it must be a surprise as I haven't mentioned it till now, but I wanted it to be a surprise and I knew that you would be worried. I'm in Afghanistan. I don't know what it's going to be like to see war for the first time outside of a book or newspaper. I'm too excited to be scared right now, I'm sure that will change. I just hope I can make a difference, I hope that with the might of my pen I can make people understand what is really happening here, for better or worse._

April 15, 2009:

_I__ told you that it wouldn't take long for me to feel scared. We were under mortar attack today. I saw bloodshed in the name of violence for the first time. I saw people, both soldiers and civilians, get injured and die; it's such a waste of life and blood._

_I wasn't completely a bystander in the bloodshed; a piece of shrapnel came through the window and cut my left shoulder. Max the Medic (Honestly, that's his name, I'm not making it up.) said I might get a scar. My first war wound__._

Logan paused in his reading and put the diary down; he tried to think back over the last few days. Did Rory have a scar on her left shoulder? He didn't know and he couldn't remember seeing it and he felt like he should know if there was a scar on her shoulder.

Logan picked the diary up again and kept reading.

_I don't know how friends and family survive sending their loved ones off to fight in a war and maybe to die. Just watching you leave for London had killed a little piece of me. _

_Today someone won't get a phone call from the one they love, there will be no more letters sent home. Instead, families at home will get a telephone call or a knock on the door, telling them that their loved one is hurt or dead. I cried for the friends and families of the hurt and fallen. I don't know these people but I think I feel kindred to them, having had my own phone call, informing me that the one I love was hurt and maybe dying. I can still remember how I had felt the day that Colin called, telling me that you were hurt in Costa Rica, tearing my life asunder. _

_Even now while sitting in a mesh tent surrounded by people, I still feel the pain of you walking away from me like a gaping wound, but at least I know that you are alive and well and that very thought gives me strength._

***

Rory arrived back at Logan's apartment not long after lunch time, Logan hadn't locked the door so she let herself in; she had checked out of her hotel so she was pulling her luggage behind her.

"I'm so sorry that it took me so long," Rory called out hoping that Logan could hear her. "My suitcase exploded so I had to go and buy another one."

Rory had turned to close the door behind her and when she turned back Logan was standing in front of her. She was stunned when Logan pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. He kissed her like he hadn't seen her in years instead of hours.

Logan pushed off her coat and broke the kiss to pull off her sweater and t-shirt. Once she was only in her bra, he kissed his way down her neck and shoulder. "You got this scar from a shrapnel wound you sustained on the fifteenth of April 2009 while you were in Afghanistan."

"My diaries came?"

"Yes." Logan kissed Rory on the lips again, "I take it back. I was wrong, you have lived a life, it has been amazing or at least what I've read so far. I wish I had been there with you."

"What? To watch me get shot at?" Rory tried to find some humor to break the seriousness of how Logan was looking at her.

"No, to experience it with you." Logan missed the humor; he was so in awe of Rory's life. "My life has been boardrooms and bungee jumping, but you… you really went out there and lived. You did it, Ace, I'm so proud of you."

Logan kissed Rory again; when the kiss broke, Rory said, "Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Because if it hadn't been for you I would never have done it, Logan, I didn't want you to be disappointed in me anymore. Somewhere along the way I got it in my head that you wouldn't be mad at me for saying no if I had done everything I wanted to do."

"Rory, you have never disappointed me!"

"Yes, I have, I disappointed you the day I said no." Rory was crying and she didn't know why. She buried her face in Logan's shoulder.

"No, Rory, I wasn't disappointed. You were honest with me and that's all I ever wanted."

Rory pulled back from Logan's embrace, she wiped her eyes and looked around the apartment. She saw her diaries, her life, spread out on the table. "I didn't think that they would come in time. How far have you read?"

"I'm halfway through May 2014."

"How was May for me?" Rory walked over to the table and looked down at the books that held the story of her life.

"So far it's been a good month, but not as good as the May of 2012."

"Why? What ever happened in May 2012?" Rory acted coyly as if she didn't know.

"Well, it was a very long time ago so let me refresh your memory. That would be the year that you won the Pulitzer." Logan knew exactly where he was when Rory had won the Pulitzer; he had been in France and he had watched the broadcast live over the internet. He had been in a meeting not really paying attention to what was being said. When Rory's name had been announced, he had jumped out off his seat and punched his fist in the air.

"Me? Win the Pulitzer? Hmm... I vaguely recall that, but it's not my best May ever."

"Really," Logan had no idea what could be better than a Pulitzer. "What was your best May?"

"That would be May 2010 when Paul Anka became a dad?"

"The real Paul Anka?"

"No the dog Paul Anka."

"Well, I can see how that would top the Pulitzer." Logan laughed as he pulled Rory back into his arms for a hug, "I can't believe you did all of this." Logan looked at all of the diaries.

"It just started when I had so much to tell you but couldn't so I started writing and then I didn't know how to stop."

Logan and Rory read all day long and into the night. They both shared stories and thoughts that came to mind while reading her diaries.

"Logan, look." Rory pointed to the window where in the distance fireworks could be seen going off.

"It's midnight."

"Happy New Year, Logan."

"Happy New Year, Ace."

"Our arrangement has come to its expiry date."

"So, what do you think about our arrangement?"

"I think that we need to spend more time together."

"How much more time?"

Rory smiled, "I don't know, but let's find out together."

Logan smiled; he pulled Rory into his arms and kissed her. This was only the beginning.

* * *

Well that's all folk's - It was really fun being involved with the Fic Exchange no doubt I will partake again in the future.

Below is Cuppacuppajoe's Prompt:

- Post-season 7 (when sadly, Rory denies Logan's marriage proposal and Logan disappears off the face of the earth).  
- Rory and Logan meet again, 10 years later, at a Christmas Eve party in London. The fic should begin at that event, and end 7 days later on New Year's Eve. As to the events that transpire in between, that is up to the author. As to how it ends, up to the author.  
- Assume that Rory and Logan NEVER physically crossed paths prior to that party.  
- WANT: Lots and lots of classic Rory-Logan banter. Sexytimes/smut, go for it, but nothing gratuitous or just-for-the-sake-of.


End file.
